Written Answers Monday 29 September 2008

Scottish Executive

Class Sizes

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its Circular 1/2007 issued on 2 April 2007 setting out guidance on class sizes still stands.

Maureen Watt: Yes Circular 1/2007 which gave guidance on the previous administration’s policies on P1 and S1/S2 maths and English classes is still extant. However, the commitment to reduce P1 to a maximum of 25 has been superseded by this government’s policy of reducing P1 to P3 classes to a maximum of 18.

Debt

Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average level is of unsecured borrowing debt level.

Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people currently being treated for (a) stress, (b) anxiety and (c) depression cite debt problems as a contributing factor.

Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many people currently not in employment have stated that debt has been an impediment to re-employment.

Stewart Maxwell: This information is not held centrally.

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing will discuss with the families involved in the C.diff Justice Group the chairing and remit of any public inquiry on the outbreak of Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven Hospital.

Nicola Sturgeon: I fully appreciate the views expressed about a public inquiry. As I said in Parliament on 11 September, it is right to allow the investigation by the area procurator fiscal to conclude before any further decisions are taken by ministers. I will make a further statement to Parliament at the conclusion of these investigations. I am always happy to meet with the families of the deceased to discuss what happened at the Vale of Leven hospital.

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15802 by Nicola Sturgeon on 17 September 2008, how many nurses attended the provided training on Clostridium difficile in May 2007, also expressed as a percentage of the total nursing staff.

Nicola Sturgeon: I am advised by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde that fifteen nurses from the Vale of Leven hospital attended the training on Clostridium difficile in May 2007. It is not appropriate to present this figure as a percentage of the total nursing population at the hospital as not all nurses perform duties or functions where Clostridium difficile training would be relevant to their position.

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15610 by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 September 2008 and the intention to involve patients and relatives in the review process, why the independent review team only contacted the patients and relatives affected by Clostridium difficile one week prior to the completion date for the report.

Nicola Sturgeon: As stated on page seven of the Independent Review Team’s report much consideration was given on how to appropriately and sensitively contact patients and relatives and it was decided that a newspaper advert would be the most appropriate means of contact. However, this meant that the review team were required to work to the publishing timetables set by the newspapers that were approached and this meant that there were unavoidable delays in getting the adverts published. The fundamental issue is, however, that the Independent Review Team met with a number of representatives of the families affected and took account of their comments when formulating the recommendations in their report.

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15607 by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 September 2008, whether the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing will invite the independent review team to publish all the written material considered by it on Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven Hospital.

Nicola Sturgeon: A decision on whether to publish the written evidence considered by the Independent Review Team is currently being considered under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2005.